20 Year Old Ammo

[BeeTee]

I sorta rediscovered 150 rounds of loaded ammo in my cabinet a couple of weeks ago. I had loaded it for a Pdog shoot back in 1993, but didn't use it... While planning another varmint shoot recently, I wondered whether age had degraded the quality of the ammo...


The answer: Not much.

I store my ammo in a shop that is kept at no lower than 40 degrees F during the winter. Temps could reach 90 or so during the hottest days of summer, but the insulated walls and ceiling help keep temps somewhat more stable than in an unheated garage.

By the way, the flatbase Sierra 50gr Blitz was the second most consistently accurate bullet I tried in this rifle. I had one smoking hot 5-shot group going back in the 1990s that was in the 0.100" range for 4 shots - just a tiny oval hole. The fifth was a heartbreaker, opening the group to a 1/4" or so. On average, the Nosler 50BT produced the most consistently accurage group maker. Experimentation with other bullets pretty much ended. Now, I've got some Sierras to shoot... BT

 

[Guy Miner]

Yes, that's what I've found. Ammo that is stored reasonably well, does just fine even after decades have rolled by.

I wish the shooter was so well preserved after 20 years!

Guy

 

[DrMike]

I wish the shooter was so well preserved after 20 years!

Guy

Ain't that the truth! Some fine old ammo, BeeTee.

 

[AzDak42]

I have cases of South African 308 that was sealed up in the early 80s that still shoots well. As long as it's sealed, I have a feeling I'll still be shooting that stuff in another 20 years.

 

[SJB358]

Very nice BT! That is pretty cool stuff!

 

[FOTIS]

Nice ammo you rolled up there buddy.
That dog will hunt!

 

[longrangehunter]

Twenty years is a long time, but like you said, if stored properly in a dry cool stabile environment they will remain unchanged.

Speaking of which, some of the oldest ammo I keep seeing in my ammo chest (it's a chest freezer left unplugged), is some old Remington 30-06 Accelerator ammo loaded with a 55 gr. .224" bullet. I remember it shot like crap and I doubt it Improved with age like a fine wine! lol

 

[AzDak42]

Twenty years is a long time, but like you said, if stored properly in a dry cool stabile environment they will remain unchanged.

Speaking of which, some of the oldest ammo I keep seeing in my ammo chest (it's a chest freezer left unplugged), is some old Remington 30-06 Accelerator ammo loaded with a 55 gr. .224" bullet. I remember it shot like crap and I doubt it Improved with age like a fine wine! lol

I'd forgotten all about that stuff! I remember as kids, my brother and I thought it was the coolest thing ever. I remember the two of us chipping in for a box of it and my dad taking us out to try it at our little place back in the woods up in MN. We passed a farm stand and with a glint in his eye, my dad pulled over and picked up a half dozen watermelons and cantaloupe. Those 55g zinning out of the family 30-06 just evaporated them, blowing a huge exit hole and throwing chunks of melon for yards behind it.

Thanks for bringing back such a fun memory.

 

[BeeTee]

I always wanted to experiment with the '06/55gr, but didn't. I'd rather have had access to the components so I could load my own... I also remember the chamber converters, so for example, you could shoot 308 Win in a 30-06. There were a variety of chamber inserts available to use a variety of alternate cartridges. I suppose to make it really useful, the case head needed to be the same between cartridges - as well as bore diameter.

On another note, I remember reading a test report in the 1980s or thereabouts, where a magazine tester tested 20-30 year-old 22LR target ammo. He found no appreciable deterioration either, though noted temperature stability and low(er) humidity were essential. BT

 

[Wincheringen]

I've been shooting some .30-06 made in 1953 lately. It was made in the TW (Twin Cities - Anoka, MN) Arsenal, shipped overseas to Greece, then brought back to the US. In the time it was transported it had been linked up for machine gun use then de-linked. I'm sure storage conditions weren't particularly great. It still goes bang and my hungry Garand just gobbles it right up.